“No, that’s not the direction we want to go,” Oscar De La Hoya said firmly when asked about a potential Ryan Garcia vs. Devin Haney rematch following the May 2nd Fatal Fury event. And with that, any lingering hopes of a second showdown were shut down, at least for now. Ryan Garcia, still reeling from his shocking loss to Rolando Romero, appears to be stepping away from the spotlight to regroup. Meanwhile, Devin Haney, who was criticized for his lackluster win over Jose Ramirez, seemed to have found a new dance partner in Teofimo Lopez. But as fate would have it, things unraveled quickly.

A couple of days ago, Ring Magazine delivered the disappointing update via Instagram. The highly anticipated Devin Haney vs. Teofimo Lopez clash has officially fallen through, just when it looked all but confirmed. According to veteran boxing reporter Lance Pugmire, both camps had agreed to a 145-pound catchweight, with the fight scheduled for August 16th in Saudi Arabia. But Teofimo Lopez’s manager, Keith Connolly, revealed that personal matters forced the WBO light welterweight champion to step away, halting the summer showdown at the one-yard line.

“Unfortunately, Teo won’t be fighting in August due to personal reasons, which I’ll keep confidential,” said Teofimo Lopez’s manager, Keith Connolly. “We want to thank His Excellency for the opportunity and everything he’s done for Teo,” he added, referencing the planned event in Saudi Arabia. “We planned on fighting, but with what was going on, he wanted to make sure he was 100% right mentally and physically, and August was just too quick of a turnaround. I expect Teo to be back later this year, bigger and better than ever.” As for Devin Haney, it’s now unclear whether he’ll wait on Teofimo Lopez or shift focus to a new opponent.

A rematch with Ryan Garcia had briefly surfaced as a possible alternative, especially after all three: Haney, Garcia, and Lopez shared the same card back in May. But King Ry’s shocking loss to Rolando Romero effectively deflated interest in the sequel. Haney, who was criticized for a dull points win over Jose Ramirez that same night, appeared ready to reset the narrative with a more meaningful matchup against The Takeover, until that too slipped away.

Now, even though the fight between Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez appears to be off the table, Devin Haney looked all set and fully dialed in for the showdown.

Devin Haney slams Teofimo Lopez for dodging showdown

The 145-pound catchweight clash was shaping up to be a battle between two of the sport’s brightest young stars, years in the making. Both Devin Haney and Teofimo Lopez looked sharp on The Ring’s May 2nd Times Square card, with Haney outclassing former world champion Jose Ramirez and Lopez defending his Ring junior welterweight title with an impressive win over Arnold Barboza Jr.

“I was looking forward to making this fight with Teo, it’s been in the works for a while now,” Haney told The Ring on Tuesday. “I thought this was the best time to make it happen. I did my part. We waited for days for Teo to sign his part of the contract and he came out and said this isn’t a fight he wants to make.”

Moreover, Haney didn’t hold back, expressing frustration with how things unfolded. “I’m still willing to make the biggest and best fights. I’m looking forward to working with His Excellency, Riyadh Season and The Ring on the best possible opponent. Teo is a fu–ing duck. No promoter should work with Teo because he wasted everybody’s time,” Haney said bluntly. Meanwhile, Teofimo Lopez’s team has remained silent, choosing not to comment on the situation.

What do you think about the situation? Did Teofimo Lopez make the right call by stepping away from the fight? Or does he have something bigger in the works?